A number of sides are in the mix for a place in this season's play-offs and the race will intensify in the coming months

The Championship play-offs are among the most keenly contested and rewarding games in the English football calendar.

A place in the Premier League, with its subsequent financial benefits and accompanying prestige, is the prize on offer, but only one team stands to benefit.

This season, the likes of Leeds United and Norwich City are in the running for automatic promotion, but further down, teams such as Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa are in the hunt for a place in the play-offs.